Generally, a telematics system refers to a system that combines telecommunications and information processing. More specifically, the term has evolved to refer to automobile systems that combine global positioning system (GPS) satellite tracking and wireless communications for automatic roadside assistance and remote diagnostics. This combination provides consumers with a multitude of services not previously available as described more fully below.
Communications between a vehicle and a remote assistance facility are important for many reasons. One of such reasons relates to the diagnosing of problems with the vehicle and forecasting problems with the vehicle, called prognostics. Modern motor vehicles contain complex mechanical systems that are monitored and regulated by computer systems such as electronic control units (ECUs) and the like. Such ECUs monitor various components of the vehicle including engine performance, carburation, speed/acceleration control, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), electronic brake systems (EBS), antilock brake systems (ABS), suspension systems, traction control systems, anti-slip regulation (ASR) systems, steering systems, stability control systems, electronic stability programs (ESP), adaptive cruise control (ACC) systems, diagnostics systems, trailer interface systems, transmission systems, air management control systems, continuous brake retarder systems, engine control systems, etc. However, vehicles have traditionally performed such monitoring typically only for the vehicle driver and without communication of any impending results, problems and/or vehicle malfunction to a remote site for trouble-shooting, diagnosis or prognostics. This limitation is remedied by telematics systems, several of which are known.
U.S. Published Patent Application No. US 2003/0009270 A1 discloses a vehicle diagnostic system which diagnoses the state of the vehicle or the state of a component of the vehicle and generates an output indicative or representative thereof. A communications device transmits the output of the diagnostic system to a remote location, possibly via a satellite or the Internet. The diagnostic system can include sensors mounted on the vehicle, each providing a measurement related to a state of the sensor or a measurement related to a state of the mounting location, and a processor coupled to the sensors and arranged to receive data from the sensors and process the data to generate the output indicative or representative of the state of the vehicle or its component. The processor may embody a pattern recognition algorithm trained to generate the output from the data received from the sensors and be arranged to control parts of the vehicle based on the output.
U.S. Published Patent Application No. US 2002/0173889 A1 discloses a vehicle device that combines the functionalities of integrating vehicle controls, monitoring systems, location tracking and wireless communications into a vehicle device with module receptacles to receive insertable modules that are replaceable, transferable, and upgradeable. The modules include functions for performing one of a plurality of telematic functions. The vehicle device includes a communication component, one or more removable modules, one or more module receptacles, memory, and a processor. The communication component communicates with a destination over a network. Each of the one or more removable modules performs at least one function. The one or more module receptacles receive the one or more removable modules. The processor is coupled to the memory, the one or more module receptacles, and the communication component.
U.S. Published Patent Application No. US 2003/0216889 A1 discloses a diagnostic/prognostic system which monitors performance of a vehicle or other apparatus wherein the vehicle has a plurality of operational components. Each operational component has a predetermined nominal operating state and generates respective electrical signals pursuant to its operation. A data collection memory in the vehicle stores samples of the electrical signals in a rolling buffer. An analyzer in the vehicle is responsive to the electrical signals for detecting a trigger event indicative of at least a potential variance of an operational component from its nominal operating state. A computation center located remotely from the vehicle has a database storing representations of electrical signals for classifying nominal and irregular operating states of the operational components. A transmitter is activated by the trigger event to transmit at least some of the stored samples in the rolling buffer at the time of the trigger event to the computation center. The computation center receives the transmitted samples and classifies them according to the nominal or irregular operating states.
Another reason that communications between a vehicle and a remote assistance facility are important relates to tracking of the vehicle. Such tracking may itself be important for a number of reasons, including responding to an emergency (such as vehicle theft, an accident, a breakdown, etc.). However, what may be even more important in certain circumstances is the ability to track movement of the vehicle when such vehicle is part of a large fleet of vehicles. For example, in the context of commercial trailers used to haul goods, the performance of vehicle operators is critical to the efficiency of the business. By tracking the vehicle, performance problems can be quickly identified. Moreover, also in the context of trailers, it is common for trailers to be disconnected from the tractors which haul them and left at various locations for loading/unloading or between uses. It is often difficult, particularly when an entity maintains a large fleet of trailers, to keep track of the locations of each of the trailers in the fleet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,844 discloses a vehicle tracking and security system which allows immediate response in case of vehicle theft, an accident, vehicle breakdown, or other emergency. Guardian and tracking functions are provided through mobile units installed in hidden locations in vehicles to be monitored. The mobile units communicate with a control center. Preferably, the mobile unit provides vehicle theft and intrusion protection using an in-vehicle alarm and security system linked to the control center by a transceiver in the mobile unit. Also, a keypad or other human interface device is provided, allowing a vehicle driver or occupant to signal the control center that a particular type of assistance is needed. The vehicle's location may be automatically transmitted to the control center along with any automatic alarm signal or manually entered request, the location being precisely determinable anywhere in the world through use of global positioning system (GPS) information.
While the above-described prior art systems do provide global positioning system (GPS) satellite tracking and wireless communications for remote diagnostics, they suffer from a number of disadvantages. One of such disadvantages relates to the manner in which the systems communicate with the various vehicle systems. It is becoming common for advanced vehicle systems, such as electronic braking systems, to employ a control area network (CAN) bus by which the system controller (i.e., the electronic control unit (ECU)) communicates with various system components, with much information passing over this CAN bus. While this information is often pertinent to performing system diagnostics and prognostics, none of the prior art systems described above is communicable over the CAN bus, and therefore the pertinent information communicated over the CAN bus is not transmitted to the remote location for use in the diagnostics and/or prognostics. While U.S. Published Patent Application No. US 2002/0173889 A1 does disclose that the communications device disclosed therein is able to communicate with the CAN bus controller, the communications device is not connected into the CAN bus itself, and therefore even in this system, much of the pertinent information passing over the CAN bus may not be communicated to the remote location.
Another disadvantage of the systems disclosed in the afore-mentioned prior art references relates to the way in which data transmitted to the remote location is used, or more accurately, not used. In each of the prior art systems, the data received from the vehicle is used only to track and/or perform diagnostics concerning the particular vehicle from which the data is received. However, it may be desirable to use such data in order to compare the performance of the vehicle and/or of the operator of the vehicle with the performance of other vehicles and/or operators of other vehicles.
A further disadvantage of the systems disclosed in the afore-mentioned prior art references relates to the lack of advanced power management functionality. As should be obvious to one skilled in the art, any system for providing tracking and wireless communications for remote diagnostics of a vehicle will consume power. Also as should be obvious to one skilled in the art, the vehicle in which such a system operates only has a limited supply of power at its disposal. This is particularly true in the case of trailers. As opposed to cars, trucks, tractors, etc. which have a large power supply which is recharged with vehicle use, trailers (particularly when not being wheeled by a tractor) typically do not have their own on-board power supply. As such, systems for providing tracking and wireless communications for remote diagnostics must be provided with their own power supply (i.e., battery). It is undesirable from both cost management and space management standpoints to provide large power supplies for the systems to operate, and as such, advanced power management is critical, particularly when the trailer is parked and disconnected from a tractor.
Still another disadvantage of the systems disclosed in the afore-mentioned prior art references relates to the fact that none are particularly directed to managing a fleet of commercial vehicles where lack of movement of the vehicle for a relatively long duration is particularly important. For example, it is important from the standpoints of monitoring vehicle operator performance and identifying the positions of vehicles that have been parked and potentially lost to identify “slow movers” (i.e., vehicles that have not reported back to the system or that have not moved within a certain time period). None of the systems described above provide any functionality for facilitating the identification of such “slow movers.”
What is desired, therefore, is a system for providing tracking and wireless communications for remote diagnostics of a vehicle which provides data communicated over a vehicle system's CAN bus to a remote location, which is adapted to use data received from a vehicle in order to compare the performance of the vehicle and/or of the operator of the vehicle with the performance of other vehicles and/or operators of other vehicles, which incorporates advanced power management functionality for conserving power, particularly when the system is disconnected from a main power supply, and which facilitates the identification of vehicles that have not reported back to the system or that have not moved within a specified time period.